


you’re the last sight on the horizon as the earth begins to curve

by Hellozombies



Category: Chernobyl (TV 2019)
Genre: Inappropriate Use of History, M/M, Old Men Flirting, Shcherbina Always Gets His Man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 12:09:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19317898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellozombies/pseuds/Hellozombies
Summary: The KGB are good at their jobs, but Boris is better.*How Boris uses his years as a Political Party Man to get the ending he wants.





	you’re the last sight on the horizon as the earth begins to curve

1987

 

Boris made a vow when he held eye contact with Valery, already in the car driving away from Boris. Valery would see him again.

Valery was a good man, and Boris wouldn’t let anyone brow-beat him. Valery was brave, much braver than anyone Boris had ever met. He wouldn’t be stuck alone, not while Boris could still fight. 

*

Boris’s first objective was to make the KGB view Boris and Valery as non-threatening. So, Boris made themselves appear weak.

Boris found a doctor to write up a fake physical for himself, and got that doctor to get another doctor to do the same for Valery. It had been easy to roadblock Valery, to lead him straight to the doctor in Boris’s pocket.

He decided on lung cancer for Valery. Valery was never without a cigarette. Boris could picture him in his apartment that Valery had described to him once. It was small, but with enough windows to let light in. He would be smoking cigarette after cigarette, like it was his only friend in the world. The thought made Boris rub his chest. 

Boris still needed to decide what he was dying of. He looked down to where he was rubbing his chest. The idea came instantaneously.

Of course, _his heart_.

*

While Boris had other duties to tend to, he always had his plan in the back of his mind. He moved slowly on the KGB, knowing the best of them would have to focus their attention on somewhere else soon. There was always an attack on the hearts and minds of the good people of the Soviet Union. Always.

When he had the opportunity, he hand-picked the worst of what was left of the pile.

He was able to get few pictures of Valery. They came in sealed, crisp, unmarked envelopes to his office. If he looked at them longer than what was necessary, there was no one around to say so.

Once, Boris was able to see him in person. Boris was officially passing from one city to the next. Valery looked terrible, like his soul had received the cancer instead, and it was coming out from within to infect his body.

Boris pushed on.

*

1988

 

When it was time to see Valery for real, the man wasn’t there. 

The front door wasn’t that secure, all Boris did was _nudged_ it open. Boris wandered around the apartment for awhile, and sat down to wait. Valery never kept him waiting for long.

When Valery walked through the door, he was shocked to see Boris on his couch, with Valery’s sleeping cat on his lap. “You are not supposed to be here.”

Boris greeted him, “Good evening!”

“You need to leave before-“

“Ah yes, before Leonid gets here. Then, Pyotr.If he isn’t too far into the bottle, yet.”

Valery was bewildered, but still said, “I’m very glad to see you.”

“As am I. Though, I must confess, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you since.”

Valery sat down, and Boris told him of his subterfuges.

“You’ve been stalking me.” Valery laughed, not knowing what to do with his hands. “I would say you’ve been watching me, but stalking is the right word for it.”

“Is that anyway to talk to a friend that has forged your medical history and put the worst KGB agents on you?”

Valery laughed again, and Boris was proud he made that happen. 

“Yes, the best of a friend I could ever have hoped for.” Boris had a smug look on his face, but his eyes were kind. “What’s a bit of stalking, if I get you as a result?”

*

Valery led Boris to the bed and tossed him a pillow. That was all they needed to say about it. After they were settled in bed, Boris stayed awake while Valery fell asleep. Boris stared at him for a long time, watching Valery’s face smooth out in sleep, the twitching of his eyes, and his mouth hanging slightly open.

Valery opened his eyes and blinked, just twice, before dragging Boris on his chest, so that Boris’s ear was on the surface above Valery’s heart. Valery rubbed his fingers on Boris’s jaw, and Boris felt just how tight he had been holding it.

Boris knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep on Valery’s chest the whole night, but he felt his eyes closing anyway.

*

Boris woke up on his back. Valery was on his side facing away from Boris. Boris turned towards Valery, and put his handon Valery’s back to feel him breathe. Valery sighed and moved backward, close enough to feel Boris’s cock against him. Boris reached down to feel if Valery was hard. He was, and Boris kissed his shoulder in relief.

Boris made Valery kick off his pants while he reached in the drawer. Valery handed him the Vaseline, and Boris quickly put some on himself. He was slick enough to slide himself between Valery’s legs. He rubbed the rest of it around in his hand to warm it, before he put his hand on Valery. 

Valery responded instantly, the moan coming from deep within his chest. Boris stroked him at the same time as he slid against him. An imitation of fucking him.

Valery lifted up the blanket, just enough to see Boris stroking him. He breathed heavily, from how Boris was touching him and a little from seeing it happen. Boris knew neither of them could last very long, it had been too long since either of them had been touched this way from another person.

There was a hitch in Valery’s voice, and Boris repeated the movement with his hand. And a few seconds later, Valery was gone.

Boris put arm around Valery’s neck, and tucked it into his elbow. The other hand gripped Valery’s hip. It didn’t take him long to finish. They stayed that way for a minute, before Valery turned his head and asked, “Hungry?”

*

Valery crowded Boris against the counter. He kissed him just like how Boris had been stroking him earlier.

Boris didn’t count the minutes while they kissed, but his coffee was cool when he took a drink. Valery had a hand over his mouth, but Boris could tell he was smiling. 

“We have a week before they will realize.”

“You are amazing.” Boris felt his chest expand with pride, once again. “What’s the plan?”

“Since we are written down as to be dying, we are going to die.” Valery turned away from Boris, upset. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the best solution.”

“No, no it’s fine,” Valery still didn’t look at him. “Where will we be going?”

“Ah, yes, I thought I’ll leave that up to you. I have no preference, where would you like to go?”

Valery seemed to mull it over. “Vienna was nice. Besides the lying, and constant supervision.”

“It’ll feel just like home, then.”

Valery laughed and agreed, “I have tell you something, but it’s difficult.”

“You love me.”

“No, yes. _Yes_ , I absolutely love you. _Of course_ , I love you.”

“Good, I love you too.” He saw the troubled look on his face, despite his smile, “But?”

“There’s no _“but.”_ I really do love you.” He lit up a cigarette, and went straight for it. “I was planning on committing suicide.”

Boris felt like his heart had the problems he wrote his medical history to say. 

Valery continued, “I have been creating tapes, putting down all my thoughts about Chernobyl.” He looked up at Boris, “I was going to give them to a friend that I know can publish them.”

Boris couldn’t think of something to say.

Valery wasn’t finished, “After that, it could spread, and I would be too far for them to make me try to stop it.”

“May I listen to the tapes?” Boris needed to hear what could have been Valery’s last words.

“Sure, it’s more of the same. You already know, you lived through it. It’s, mostly, about the science of it, a bit of a boring listen.”

“You taught me how a reactor works. I wasn’t bored to tears then.” Boris grabbed his arm and kissed his wrist, right on the pulse. 

“This helps us.” Valery said, seeming more awake than before. 

“How so?”

“This is how I can die before I’m supposed to. The _“cancer”_ isn’t too far advanced yet.”

Boris kissed his wrist again, “You are still too smart for your own good.”

*

“We can just walk out the door? Just like that?” Of all the things Boris had said, and had done to Valery, _this_ was the most unbelievable to him.

“Just like that. You can’t bring anything with you.” Boris reached over to pet the cat. “Not even this.”

Valery reached to pet her too, “She’ll be alright.”

“I’ll see to it.” He got up, “We’ll leave tonight. I need to go out before that, so prepare yourself.” He tapped Valery’s chin so he would look up and kiss him. “I’ll see you later.”

Valery gave him another kiss, “Hopefully, I’ll be aware of it this time.”

Boris closed the door on him in response.

*

They walked out the door on a Tuesday night. The wrapped and bundled tapes under Valery’s arm, the only thing he took with him.

They took a short walk to where Valery had to drop off the tapes. When it’s done, he stopped, just then feeling the weight of his death. He was not the same Valery Legasov anymore. He could never be again. Boris seemed to understand, he took Valery’s hand and squeezed tightly. When Valery squeezed back, Boris led them out of the alley, letting his hand go only when they reached the street lights.

*

When they get to Vienna, Boris says he has to leave for a few days. He tells Valery to buy a house, _just like that._

Valery does, and he spends the first night sitting outside. He listens to the soft noises of the trees, the rhythmic sound of the insects, the silence of the night. For the first time in his life, he thinks of nothing and feels nothing. He stays outside until the morning. When he hears the birds waking up, he heads inside to finally get some sleep.

He wakes up later, disorientated, relaxing when he realizes where he is. He spends most of the day going out exploring the nearby village.

He doesn’t spend the next night outside, nor the next.

*

When Boris returned, Valery found him looking at one of the doors. Boris had it open looking at the hinges. 

“Pass your standards?” Valery was amused when Boris turned around.

“It’s adequate.”

“Welcome home.” Valery says, and Boris _beams_.

*

Valery was on top of Boris on the bed. They had already discarded their clothes on the floor. Boris moaned about the treatment of his suit. But when Valery got on top of him, Boris forgot all about it. 

Valery had meant to prepare himself, but Boris slapped his hands away and did it himself. Valery grabbed the headboard and didn’t let go until he was seated fully on Boris’s cock. 

When Valery looked down at him, Boris was staring straight up at him. Valery moved one hand to Boris’s shoulder, and in turn, Boris pulled him down for a kiss. Valery pulled his hips down sharply when he pulled back up for air. He liked the way Boris responded so he did it again, again, and again. 

Valery lost himself after awhile, unknowingly, it hitting him hard. When he fell, exhausted, Boris held him up. Boris followed him quickly after, Valery remembering, just barely, to collapse to the side.

He stared at the ceiling trying to catch his breath. He heard Boris do the same, until he didn’t, and felt Boris lick his cheek. He yelled while Boris laughed. He had missed his laugh, but that didn’t stop him from pushing Boris. They roughhoused like children, shoving each other and pulling limbs. 

Boris got both of Valery’s arms behind his back and licked his other cheek. “You were too quiet.” 

“If I was any louder I think I would have embarrassed the neighbors.”

“Can you get louder?” Boris was momentarily distracted by thinking about how loud he could make Valery get. “I meant after.”

Valery remembered the silence before the birds that first morning. He thought of every morning before that. Before Boris came barreling back into his life. He touched Boris’s cheek, “You are something I never thought possible.”

Boris leaned into his hand, “Now you know how I’ve felt.”

*

1989

 

“The Berlin Wall is coming down.” They were eating breakfast. “ _”The Beginning of the End of the Soviet Union.”_ ”

“Oh?” Boris was at the counter getting more coffee.

“President Regan has ordered the wall removed.”

Boris sputtered, “The Americans! As if it’s not the people of Russia fighting to take back their country.”

“Yes, they will.”

Boris raised his cup as a toast, “ _To the Soviet Union, may she die with a whimper._ ” Valery picked up his cup without stopping reading.

“We can go back.”

“Hm?”

“We can go back to Russia, if you would like.”

The wind from the open wind was rustling the newspaper, the cup was warm in his hand, and Valery was covered bright with sunshine. “No, I think I’ll stay right here.”

*

*

*

**Author's Note:**

> “we’ll raise the curtain fill the house start the engines  
> fly off into the sunrise, the spire of the empire state  
> the last sight on the horizon as the earth begins to curve“


End file.
